Cousin's Challenge Page 6

  Sylvia nodded and handed Jolene her paper.

  “Thank you.” Jolene moved over to Irvin’s desk. When she looked down at his paper she was stunned. He hadn’t written one single word!

  She groaned inwardly and made a decision. As much as it pained her to do it, she would stop by his house after school and speak to his parents about this.

  ***

  “I thought Lonnie would be returning to work today,” Ella said when she entered her father’s shop and didn’t see Lonnie in front of his workbench.

  “I don’t know what’s up. Last time I saw him he said he’d be comin’ in this morning.” Papa shrugged. “He’s not usually late, so I guess it’s fair to say that his hand must still be hurting.” He frowned. “But then, he should’ve at least come by and told me if he didn’t feel up to workin’ today.”

  Ella couldn’t argue with that, but it wasn’t like Lonnie to be so inconsiderate. He’d always come to work early and sometimes stayed late to finish a job. He often whistled while he worked and usually wore a smile, so she knew he must enjoy working here. His hand was either still hurting, or else something had come up at home to keep him from being here today. She hoped it was nothing serious.

  For the next hour, Ella worked quietly, inserting some recent purchases and customer invoices into the ledger. While she did that, Papa cut some pipe for new chimes, and Charlene kept busy stringing the pieces of pipe together.

  At ten o’clock, the shop door opened and Jolene’s father, Uncle Alvin, stepped in.

  “Guder mariye,” Ella said, smiling up at him. “Did you come to buy a new set of wind chimes or just to visit with Papa awhile?”

  Uncle Alvin removed his hat and fanned his face with it, although Ella didn’t know why, because it was a chilly fall day. “Came to see if you’d heard about the explosion that took place over at the Hershbergers’ early this morning,” he said.

  “Which Hershberger?” Papa asked. “The bishop or his nephew Ezra?”

  “It happened over at Ezra Hershberger’s place,” Uncle Alvin replied.

  A sense of alarm shot through Ella as she slowly shook her head. “We haven’t heard anything.”

  Papa hurried over to his brother. “What kind of explosion?”

  “From what I was told, the Hershbergers’ propane tank blew up.”

  “Ach, That’s baremlich! Was anyone hurt?” Charlene asked, joining the group.

  Uncle Alvin nodded soberly. “You’re right. It is quite terrible. Lonnie got hit in the head by a flying fence post and was knocked out cold. Heard he was taken to the hospital, but That’s all I know for sure.”

  Ella felt like her heart had leaped into her throat. She hoped Lonnie wasn’t seriously hurt. They’d had enough tragedies in their community over the last few years.

  ***

  A sharp pain shot through Lonnie’s head as he slowly opened his eyes. He blinked at the blurred image of a middle-aged woman looking down at him. She wore some kind of a uniform, like that of a nurse.

  He tried to sit up, but his head hurt too much. It was all he could do to keep his eyes open.

  The woman shook her head and her lips moved, but Lonnie couldn’t make out what she’d said. It must be because his head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton.

  “Wh-where am I?” He winced. That was strange. He couldn’t hear his own voice, either.

  The woman picked up a notepad by his bed and wrote something on it. Then she held it in front of his face. The words were blurred, but he could make a few of them out. Parents. Waiting room. I’ll get them.

  Lonnie grimaced as the truth set in. He was in the hospital, and his folks were waiting to see him. He must have been given some pills that had made his brain feel fuzzy and clogged his ears. But why was he in the hospital?

  When the nurse set the tablet down and hurried from the room, Lonnie closed his eyes, struggling for some memory that would let him know how he’d gotten here.

  He remembered getting up, eating breakfast, doing a few chores in the barn, and going to feed the smelly hogs. Then, as he’d headed back to the house, he’d smelled something funny.

  Another jolt of pain shot through Lonnie’s head as the memory of everything that had happened flashed into his mind. He’d been heading to the phone shed to report a propane leak. Then he’d heard a terrible explosion, turned, and saw a fence post coming straight at him. It had hit him in the head with such force that he’d been knocked to the ground. That was the last thing he remembered.

  Lonnie felt the pressure of someone’s hand on his arm, and his eyes popped open. Mom stared down at him with tears in her eyes. Pop stood beside her, wearing a grim expression.

  “Wh-what happened to me? H-how bad am I hurt?” Again, Lonnie couldn’t hear his own voice, and that scared him a lot.

  Mom picked up the notepad from the table by his bed and wrote something on it. Her lips were pinched, like she was holding back tears, as she held the notepad in front of Lonnie’s face.

  Our propane tank exploded. Apparently you were hit in the head by one of our fence posts. Your daed found you lying near the phone shed.

  Pop’s lips moved as he leaned over Lonnie, shaking his head.

  Lonnie put both hands against his ears. “I—I can’t hear you! Why can’t I hear what you’re saying?” His throat hurt, and he knew he must be shouting.

  Pop stepped away from the bed, and Mom wrote something else on the tablet and showed it to Lonnie.

  When the post hit your head, it caused a concussion, and the doctor just told us that there was severe damage to the auditory nerves in both your ears.

  “Is—is that why I can’t hear?” She nodded.

  “How long until I can hear again?”

  Mom slowly shook her head as tears pooled in her eyes and dripped onto her cheeks. The doctor isn’t sure, but you may never get your hearing back, she wrote on the tablet. We’ll have to wait and see how it goes.

  Lonnie swallowed around the lump in his throat. If he couldn’t hear, he couldn’t tune chimes. If he couldn’t tune chimes, he didn’t have a job. If he didn’t have a job, he couldn’t get married.

  CHAPTER 10

  Jolene’s heart pounded as she stood on the Troyers’ back porch, prepared to knock on their door. As soon as school was over for the day, she’d pedaled her bike over here, hoping to arrive before Irvin and Sylvia, who had walked to school. She wanted to speak to the children’s parents without the children knowing she’d been here.

  Mary, the children’s mother, opened the door before Jolene was able to knock.

  “I was looking out the kitchen window and saw you coming up the driveway,” Mary signed as she spoke. “If you came to see Irvin and Sylvia, they aren’t home from school yet.”

  “I’m glad they’re not here, because I wanted to speak to you alone. Is your husband here? I think he should know what I have to say, too.”

  Mary shook her head. “He’s out in the fields, gathering hay. Come inside and tell me what’s on your mind.” She held the door open for Jolene.

  Jolene stepped inside and breathed deeply as the sweet smell of apples and cinnamon wafted up to her nose. “Are you making applesauce?” she asked, hoping to stall for time. She really didn’t want to say what was on her mind.

  “Jah, I’ve been working on it a good portion of the day. Just put the last batch in the pressure cooker a few minutes ago.” She motioned to the kitchen table. “Have a seat, and I’ll pour us some coffee.”

  Jolene pulled out a chair and sat down. She really didn’t have time for coffee but didn’t want to be rude.

  “Would you like to try some of my applesauce bread?” Mary set a cup of coffee in front of Jolene, along with a plate that held several slices of deliciously moist-looking bread.

  “No, thank you. I can’t stay that long, but I wanted to talk to you about your children.”

  “Are they doing well in school?”

  Jolene took a sip of coffee as she thought about the b
est way to say what was on her mind. “Sylvia’s doing well and seems eager to learn.” She paused and clasped her hands together. The expectant look on Mary’s face made this even more difficult. She drew in a quick breath. “I wish I could say the same for Irvin.”

  Mary’s forehead wrinkled. “What do you mean?”

  “He’s not responsive in class and won’t do his lessons. I asked the children to copy some words I’d written on the blackboard, but Irvin left his paper blank.”

  “He didn’t write down any of the words?”

  Jolene shook her head.

  “Maybe they were too difficult for him.”

  “They were simple words, and Sylvia was able to write them all.”

  The corners of Mary’s mouth turned down. “I don’t understand it. Irvin’s not dumb.”

  “I don’t think Irvin’s dumb, either, but I do think either he’s not happy with me as his teacher, or he’s upset because he’s new here and hasn’t made any friends.”

  “But there are lots of other boys his age at school.”

  “That’s true, but Irvin keeps to himself, and...” Jolene stopped speaking and let her hands fall into her lap. She’d almost told Mary about the teasing that had gone on this morning.

  Just then a blast of cool air floated into the kitchen, and Irvin and Sylvia raced into the room.

  Sylvia went to the sink for a drink of water, but Irvin halted as soon as he saw Jolene. “It wasn’t my fault,” he signed to his mother. “Kyle Beechy’s the one who started it.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed. “Started what?”

  Irvin looked at Jolene, as though expecting her to say something.

  “I didn’t tell your mother anything about what happened this morning,” she signed to him.

  “Tell me what?” Mary asked her son.

  He squinted his eyes and stared at her. Jolene could almost see the gears shifting in his head. “It was nothin’, Mama.”

  Mary, obviously not willing to give up on the subject, signed in return, “Tell me what happened, Irvin.”

  He dropped his gaze to the floor.

  Mary looked at Jolene. “Do you know anything about this?”

  As much as Jolene didn’t want to tell Mary about Kyle and his brother teasing Irvin, she knew it was time to explain what had happened.

  ***

  “Are you feeling sick again?” Ella asked when she entered the living room and found her mother lying on the sofa.

  Mama yawned and pulled herself to a sitting position. “I’m not sick, just a bit tired and shaky this afternoon.”

  Ella was tempted to suggest that Mama make an appointment to see the doctor, but that subject had been discussed too many times, and Mama wouldn’t budge. Loraine’s mother had come by a few days ago and almost insisted that Mama see the doctor, but it was to no avail. Ella wondered what it would take for Mama to realize that she needed to have some tests run in order to find out why she was tired and shaky so much of the time. Mama had also begun to put on some weight, and she seemed to be thirsty a lot.

  “Should I start supper now, or do you want me to wait awhile?” Ella asked, turning her focus to their immediate need.

  “Guess you’d better wait until Charlene and your daed are ready to quit work for the day. When your daed came in for lunch, he said they’d probably be working late since they’re getting behind and didn’t have Lonnie’s help again today.”

  Ella’s eyebrows squeezed together. “I wish we’d get some word on how Lonnie’s doing.”

  “Have you been out to the phone shed lately to check the answering machine?” Mama asked. “Maybe someone from his family has called and left a message.”

  Ella nodded. “I checked for messages before I came into the house, and there was no word from the Hershbergers.”

  The back door opened and banged shut. A few seconds later, Larry raced into the room.

  “Did ya hear the news?”

  “What news?” Ella and Mama asked at the same time.

  Larry’s eyes were wide, and his face was flushed. “Joe Beechy fell off the roof of his house and was rushed to the hospital this afternoon!”

  “Oh, dear Lord,” Mama moaned. “Not another tragedy in our community.”

  ***

  “Jake, there’s a phone call for you!”

  Jake turned toward his boss’s wife, wondering who’d be calling him in the middle of the day. “Can you take a message for me, Peggy?” he called in return.

  She leaned over the porch railing and waved the dishrag in her hand. “I think you’d better take the call!”

  Jake grunted as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He’d been working in the corral with a difficult horse and didn’t want to let up until he’d made some progress. But he figured if he didn’t take the phone call, Peggy would keep hollering and waving that piece of cloth.

  Maybe it’s someone from home, Jake thought as he made his way up to the house. When he’d left Indiana and returned to Montana after Wayne and Loraine had told him they were in love and wanted to get married, he’d given his boss’s phone number to Mom and Dad so they could keep in touch.

  “Who is it, do you know?” Jake asked, stepping onto the porch. Peggy nodded. “It’s your mother. She said it was important and that she needs to speak to you right away.” Peggy opened the back door and motioned to the kitchen. “You can take the call in there.”

  Jake hurried into the kitchen and picked up the phone. “Hi, Mom, it’s Jake.”

  “Oh, Jake, I-I’m so glad you’re there.” Mom’s voice trembled when she spoke. “There’s been an accident. You need to come home!”

  CHAPTER 11

  As Jake’s truck approached Middlebury, anxious thoughts filled his mind. When he’d talked to Mom on the phone, she’d said Dad’s injuries weren’t critical, but that he had two broken legs, some broken ribs, and lots of bumps and bruises. Dad would be laid up for several months, unable to work. As much as Jake hated the idea of taking over Dad’s horseshoeing business, he felt obligated to do it. He didn’t really mind shoeing horses; he just didn’t want to do it full-time. Someday when the time was right, he hoped to have his own business—raising and training horses. He knew he wouldn’t make the kind of money shoeing horses for Dad that he made back on the ranch in Montana, but he’d only be here a few months, and then he could head back to Montana, where he was accepted for the person he was and there were no painful memories from the past.

  Jake’s thoughts went to Loraine and Wayne. He hadn’t seen them since he’d returned to Montana over a year ago, but he’d kept in touch by phone a few times. At least no one could say he’d run off to do his own thing and forgotten about his family and friends, the way he’d done the first time he’d left Indiana. He could still see the look of sadness on Loraine’s face when he’d told her was leaving for Montana that first time, and his mind took him back to the past...

  ***

  “Loraine, there’s something I need to tell you.”

  “What is it, Jake? Why are you looking at me so seriously?”

  Jake directed his horse and buggy to the side of the road and reached for Loraine’s hand. “I-I’m planning to go away for a while.”

  “Go away?”

  He nodded. “My cousin Sam, who used to live in Illinois, moved to Montana a few months ago, and ... uh ... I thought I’d spend the summer with him.”

  “Which Amish community in Montana did Sam move to?”

  “None of them. Sam’s working on a ranch in Montana for an English man who raises horses.” Jake swallowed so hard that his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “I want to try out the English way of life for a while—before I make a decision about joining the church.” He paused and swiped his tongue across his lower lip. “The wages the man is offering per week are more than I can make working for my daed in a month, so I really can’t pass on this opportunity.”

  Loraine’s mouth hung slightly open. “What?”

  “I said—”

&nbs
p; “I heard what you said. I just can’t believe you said it.”

  “It’s not like I’ll be gone forever. Probably just for the summer, that’s all.” He squeezed her fingers and smiled. “You’ll wait for me, won’t you?”

  Loraine sat, staring at him.

  “Say something, Loraine. Will you wait for me or not?”

  Tears welled in her eyes. “For how long, Jake?”

  “Until I come back to Indiana.” Jake pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the mouth. “Just a few months, that’s all,” he whispered.

  Loraine drew in a shaky breath and nodded slowly. “Jah, Jake. I’ll wait for you.”

  ***

  As Jake’s mind snapped back to the present, he shook his head. He’d really blown it with Loraine by not coming back soon enough or staying in contact with her while he was in Montana. Truth was, he probably wouldn’t have returned to Indiana the first time if he hadn’t heard about the terrible accident Loraine and her cousins had been involved in.

  After he’d returned home, he’d tried to reestablish his relationship with Loraine, but when he finally realized she was in love with Wayne, he’d given them his blessing and returned to Montana. It hadn’t been easy for Jake to leave home the second time, but in his heart, he felt it was the right thing to do.

  After Jake had returned to Montana, it had taken several months for him to come to grips with the fact that Loraine would never be his. He’d told himself that he’d done the right thing by giving Loraine and Wayne his blessing, and in time, Jake’s broken heart had begun to heal. Any romantic feelings he’d had for Loraine were now just a pleasant memory. While Jake had no interest in anyone at the moment, he was prepared to follow his heart should the right woman come along.

  Jake’s thoughts shifted as his folks’ place came into view. He grimaced. I hope Dad’s going to be okay, and I hope he appreciates my coming home to help out and doesn’t criticize everything I do.

  He pulled his truck up near the barn, turned off the engine, and stepped out.